O Holy Night
by LittlePrince'sFox
Summary: Sam uses a Christmas party as an excuse to set up Dean and Cas. Set season 6.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Sam, Dean, Cas and the world of Supernatural all belong to their God Eric Kripke. I own nothing! I'm also new at this, so please read and review:)_

_..._

**Chapter 1**

They were at Bobby's when Sam had noticed an invitation lying in a pile of half-opened mail, strewn on one of those weather-beaten wooden tables where he liked to set up his laptop during their long research sessions. It was from a Dr. Visiyak, and it had simply read 'Christmas Party, my place. Bring the boys. X" Sam, sensing a golden opportunity to push his brother headfirst out of the closet where he had been tentatively peeking out of it, grabbed the letter and showed it to his brother.

"C'mon Dean, it'll be fun!"

Dean scoffed. "Yeah, right. I have to wear a stupid suit, and for what? I'm not killing anything. I'm not even after anything. It's pointless, the food is too small and I have to make small talk with assholes." Dean looked about six years old as he pouted to his brother, but Sam had known this resistance had been coming, and was prepared.

"It'll be nice to do something normal at Christmas for a change, Dean. Remember last time we had a Christmas? We staked a couple of pagan Gods with a Christmas tree, who, by the way, almost ate us."

"Yeah, but that was great, Sammy. I was in my element. Here, I'll feel like a fish out of water."

Then, there was a flutter of wings.

"Cas…?"

"I remember when you were a fish, Dean."

They both paused, mid-argument.

"Cas, what the hell are you talking about?"

Cas was looking somewhere over the horizon, but his thoughts were with the Winchesters.

"I remember when all people were just fish. My brother told me not to step on you, and I didn't."

"…"

"Did you get any of that, Sammy?"

"Nope."

"OK, then, moving on…"

They resumed their sibling squabble.

"Listen, Dean. We were invited. We're going. End of story. And Cas is coming too."

"…I'm sorry, Sam, where am I going?"

"To a Christmas party, Cas. You'll love it, don't worry. I'm putting you down as Dean's plus one, because they forgot to send you an invitation."

Sam looked proudly and mischievously from his big brother to his angel buddy. This was definitely going to work. Cas looked confused while Dean looked deeply uncomfortable.

"…Dean, I am your plus one. What's a plus one?"

Dean appeared to have something lodged in his throat, so Sam jumped in.

"It just means that you and Dean will go to the party together. Y'know, like partners!"

Cas smiled and looked towards Dean. This made sense.

"Dean, I am your partner!"

The thing in Dean's throat was making his face turn an interesting shade of red. He also seemed to have trouble catching his breath.

"Great!" Sam said. "Now everyone is happy, and Cas, just be at this address on Friday night. Oh and maybe lose the trench coat."

Dean and Cas turned to Sam like he had just said he wanted to put rims on the Impala and elope with Raphael.

"…Or keep it. It's…fine."

Great.


	2. Chapter 2

It was five o'clock on Christmas Eve, half an hour before the party was supposed to start.

"Are you ready yet?" Sam called from outside Bobby's place. He was leaning on the Impala and trying to suppress a smile. Dean was acting like a girl before prom. He was usually up and ready for anything within five minutes, tops, but now he was taking nearly an hour to get ready for a party that he supposedly didn't even want to go to?

"Waiting for the end of the world or something, Dean?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm doing. I figured it'd be the only way you'd let me out of this thing."

Dean stepped out of the door, smirking in his perfectly black tux, which, like his beloved car, didn't have a speck of dust on it. He cut a dashing figure that seemed completely out of place in the dusty yard of beat up cars and odd parts, like Casablanca had fallen out of Bobby's old TV and into the gritty realness of a world on the brink of collapse. His hair was neat, but not slicked back. It stuck up in little light brown points that retained his charm and that you could still run your fingers through without altering the style.

He looked refreshed, with a clean-shaven face and his green eyes were twinkling with a young heartbreaker's charm that Sam hadn't remembered since before he went to Hell. Hell, maybe even before their father died. The thought left him speechless for a moment, but he managed a "Damn straight!" before getting in shotgun and waiting for Dean to step on the wheel. Maybe this wasn't as light-hearted as he thought it was. Was his big brother in love? Sam looked over to the driver's seat, where Dean seemed lost in thought. His uncharacteristic quietness meant that something was weighing heavily on his mind, and the only thing that did that and also brought out those barely suppressed nerves and faint twinkle of light in his eyes that were staring very fixedly at the road ahead of him, were the people he cared about very deeply. Sam hoped he was doing the right thing. With a pang of fear, he imagined Dean getting his heart broken, and prayed to Cas that he would pull through and not accidently tread on the secretly sensitive heart of his brother with his clumsy, inhuman social graces.

The drive seemed long, and Sam looked over and was surprised to see that Dean was doing the speed limit. He was preparing himself for something, Sam thought. Don't screw this up, Cas. _Please._ The sun was setting, and they were only ten minutes away.


	3. Chapter 3

Dean pulled into the parking lot of the mansion. He still hadn't said a word during the drive. They both got out the car, Dean looking around nervously for any sign of his angel plus-one, and checking his watch to see that it was exactly 5:29. Cas was due to arrive at 5:30. As an angel, he couldn't be anything but perfectly punctual. Sam, with his synchronised watch, also knew that time was short. _C'mon Cas…_"

"Hey Dean, let's walk up to the entrance, he'll probably meet us there." Sam said in an effort to ease his brother's nerves. _If you don't show, I will kill you, you stupid angel_ Sam thought.

...

They were at the gates, now. The whole place was lit up with white Christmas globes that shone like fairy lights. It was straight out of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Wide golden gates opened at their arrival, and a smartly dressed man came out to greet them. "Winchester, I presume?" he asked, nodding towards them. The brothers were distracted enough to not be suspicious about a strange man immediately recognising them from their faces alone. "Yeah…uh we're just waiting on someone."

It was 5:31, on the dot. Dean's jaw twitched, and he was pointedly not looking at Sam. Avoiding eye-contact. That was the first sign. He was preparing himself to be let down. _I swear to God Cas I will rip you a new one you insensitive, socially awkward, trench coated fool. You had better be kidnapped at angel-blade point right now or I will personally holy fire your ass…"_

_ ..._

"I'm sorry, are you in a hurry, Castiel? Are our negotiations concerning the fate of not only both of our asses, but Heaven, Hell and tens of _thousands_ of souls suddenly boring you all of a sudden? Are you late for a date?" Crowley was starting to get seriously annoyed. As it turns out, angels are a bitch to work with. No wonder no demon had ever done it before. They didn't have the patience. They would end up trying to kill them before anything productive got done.

"Yes."

"What?"

"I am late for a date with Dean Winchester."

"What?"

"I said that I'm…"

"No no no no no no, I _heard _you, but I just thought that you said that you had a _date_ with _Dean Winchester_. Y'know, of the famous apocalypse-averting Winchester brothers. Green eyes, freckles, in love with a car…you know the one I'm talking about."

"Yes, that is the one I'm going to a Christmas party with. I'm his plus one and I have to go. I'm sorry Crowley – we'll have to finish this later. I promised I'd be there at five-thirty."

Castiel poofed away, leaving a very confused Crowley standing in an empty lab, holding his torturing blade limply in his hand.

"Well, I'll be damned…"


	4. Chapter 4

_Note: Hi Guys! I just wanted to say thank you all so much for reading this far and also for the follows and the positive response! This is my first proper multi-chapter story (and my first on this site) and you're definitely keeping me motivated to keep going and try my best:) As always, I don't own anything - Sam, Dean, Cas and Crowley are all property of Eric Kripke and I am just borrowing them for a little bit for some fun (I'll give them back I promise;)) Cheers,-C _

_..._

**Chapter 4**

"Dean, he'll be here." _He'd better be_ "Don't forget there's a war going on up in Heaven right now. And I hate to say it, but he could also be in trouble. I mean, for us, when people don't show up it usually means-"

"Don't say it, Sam. I'm done."

Dean was already walking back towards the car while untying his bowtie. Sam could feel his heart falling towards the pavement, where he seemed determined to leave it behind so he'd be free to walk away.

Then, his trip was interrupted by the sweet sound of fluttering wings. It was music to Dean's ears. He turned to see Cas standing in front of his brother, slightly out of breath and wiping his hands on his rumpled coat.

"Hello, Dean. I'm sorry I'm late."

Sam stepped back, wondering how scarce he should make himself while the two engaged in their familiar awkward dance.

"It's…no problem. I'm just glad you came." Dean managed to get out.

Cas looked at him, bemused. "Of course I came, Dean. I'm your partner, remember? I'm your plus-one."

"Yes, of course." Dean was stashing his untied bowtie in his pocket, causing Cas to notice his appearance.

"You look nice. Different than usual, but I like it."

"Thanks." He was glad to get the tie off. It had been making it hard to breathe.

"You…uh…look the same. But I like it, too."

Cas looked down at his backwards tie, dishevelled coat, wrinkled shirt and shoes that still had bits of dirt stuck to them, and possibly other things as well. He had been walking around Crowley's lab.

"I have blood on my trench coat. It's not mine."

Dean laughed, breaking some of the built up tension between them, although not nearly all of it. "Red for Christmas - call it festive." he beamed. "Shall we go in?"

"That sounds like a plan," Cas replied.

They took each other's hand.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hi everyone! Thanks again for the positive feedback and sorry this took so long to upload. As always, Superntural and all its characters are property of Eric Kripke and not owned my me. Cheers, -C_

...

**Chapter 5**

"A DATE"? _PLUS-ONE? _WITH _DEAN WINCHESTER?"_

"WHAT THE BLOODY _HELL_ IS GOING ON HERE?"

"WHY…DO THOSE TWO…_MORONS _HAVE TO RUIN…_EVERYTHING_?"

Crowley spoke in-between stabs. His victim, strapped to the table, writhed in blood and sweat as tears leaked out of his eyes, falling sideways across his face.

"…Please…sir…_please_…I don't know what you're-"

There was a bloodcurdling scream that very nearly shattered every piece of glass in the lab, as Crowley finally stabbed his blade hard into the vampire's abdomen and left it there. This time, it had been coated in a thick layer of dead man's blood.

"I WASN'T TALKING TO YOU!"

"I will _not_ have everything we've worked for jeopardised because that overly-sentimental ball of feathers fell for the prom king!"

"This ends _now_!_"_

…

The two made an odd couple as they entered the room, with Dean in his now open-collared shirt, and Cas, looking like Dean had found him on the side of the road and was taking him inside for a hot meal and some much-needed warmth. He even had the slightly confused, but happy look of someone who had spent their life on the run and had just been dragged in from the cold.

The hall itself was expansive, and gold was the colour scheme of the evening. Cherubs lined the windows, pointing their arrows at the inter-mingling guests, many of which were high up in professional or academic circles. It looked like the decorator was trying to create an impression of heaven, with rich gold decorations and multiple appearances of angels blowing trumpets. They hung around the fluffy silver garlands, which may have been chosen to represent clouds. Sam, Dean and Cas, who had actually spent time in the real heaven, didn't pick up on the theme.

Sam felt a sudden pang of loneliness as he looked down at their clasped hands, and hung back to mingle amongst the other guests. Most of the eyes in the room had turned towards the strange couple that had just walked in, and an odd silence fell around them like a halo. The two barely noticed. The angel and the hunter were used to making disruptive entrances, and it was nice to know that this time it was for a positive reason. Even so, Dean gave Cas' hand a reassuring squeeze as they found a semi-private spot in the corner of the hall.

"I noticed some of the guests here giving us strange looks, Dean. You don't think this place is infiltrated, do you?"

Dean moved closer and turned to face him.

"Trust me. That's not why they're looking."

"I do trust you."

"Good."

Murmurs of background conversation seemed to drop away, and they were wrapped only in the sounds of an old Christmas carol.

_Oh Holy Night, the stars are brightly shining…_

Their lips were practically touching.

"You've always been there, Cas. When there was no one else, there was you. I trust you too. Cas, I'd trust you with anything…"

_Long lay the world in sin and error pining,_

_'Til He appear'd and the soul felt its worth…_

Cas felt a strange sinking sensation somewhere in the pit of his stomach, which made him pull back slightly. _Was that guilt_ _he was feeling?_

_A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,_

_For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn…_

Dean, sensing the moment, pulled him close and pressed their lips together, melting any last sense that there was anyone in the hall but them. Cas, whose guilt was utterly forgotten, clung to him like his tether to earth as they slowly kissed. Dots of white light played lazily over their features from the disco ball overhead, illuminating a freckle here and there, or the dark eyelashes of a closed eye. They might as well been teenagers at prom, sharing a mutual first kiss. The same, almost palpable weight of a milestone surrounded the moment. Meanwhile, the song had broken into a rousing chorus as they broke apart for air. Breathing hard, they let it wash over them as their hearts pounded.

_Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices! O night divine!_

"Dean?" Cas whispered. Their lips were still close.

"Hmmm?"

"I think we should keep doing that."

It didn't occur to him how little angels need to breathe.

Dean gave a tiny nod and they kissed again before the long chorus was over. Castiel the angel may have pulled him bodily from Hell, and he may have spent the past few years tied in close skirmishes and deals with the forces of heaven, but it wasn't until now that he actually felt touched by the divine. Even actual heaven didn't compare to this.

...

_O Holy Night lyrics attributed to John Sullivan Dwight_


	6. Chapter 6

_Hi everyone! I can't thank you guys enough for the positive feedback I've gotten from this! And thanks everyone who's taken the time to read this far. Please feel free to rate/review or whatever - I love any comments:) I'll try to get better about uploading quicker, too. As always, nothing owned by me, blah blah blah.. :) Cheers, -C_

_..._

**_Chapter 6_**

"Dean!"

Upon hearing his brother's voice, Dean was shocked back down to earth. He opened his eyes to see his brother rushing towards him, a sense of urgency in his every move. His hands slid off Cas' arms until their embrace was broken and they stood side by side once again, as soldiers in two different wars. Only the look that flickered between them betrayed the reality of the events that had just occurred.

Sam heart felt like it was heading towards the floor as he made his way over to the couple. _Couldn't they catch a break, for one night, at least?_ But their lives weren't fair, and there was no leaving them behind. The very fact that they both had knives concealed in their suit jackets and holy water in their pockets was a testament to that fact.

"Dean, Cas - we have to go! Now!"

Dean and Cas exchanged a look, and their fingers found each other.

"What? Why?"

"It's Demons! This whole party…this whole place – it's a trap!" _Of course it is, _Dean thought. _You're a hunter, and Winchester. This isn't some nine to five; leave it at the office type of gig. Did you really think you could get a night off? _

"How many?"

"The man that let us in, and whoever he was talking to – I saw them both out back through the window, guarding the perimeter probably. Plus, that nice older gentleman over there – sipping champagne? There was blood on his shirt cuffs. That young woman in the blue dress? I thought I recognised her. Turns out, she's been missing for weeks; presumed dead."

"Great. So that means…"

"…Everyone in this place could be a demon, or a bunch of innocent people are in serious danger."

Dean gave Sam one of his _our lives are shit but here we are lets make the best of it _false smiles that never really reached his eyes.

"So what are we thinking, then? We can't just hightail it outta here if these people are in danger."

"Dean, I think it's safe to assume that it's _us _being here that puts them in danger," Cas replied calmly. Inside, though, panic was started to filter into his gut. This was Crowley's doing, which means that it was _his _doing. He knew what Crowley was trying to do, and it was trying to eliminate the Winchesters from distracting him from their plans. The Winchesters were the ones in most danger now, and he couldn't let that stand. He was going to tear Crowley a new one and force him to call off his army. Cas took one last look at his partner, hoping that the sorrow and regret in his eyes were enough for him to forgive him. Their last minutes together were like nothing he'd ever experienced, and he understood perfectly now where his loyalties would always lie. He just prayed that he'd find a way to explain himself to Dean, and that he would eventually understand.

"Cas, are you-"

"I have to go, Dean. I'm sorry."

And then he was gone.

"What?"

"CAS!"

"What the hell, man?" Dean was hurt, and he felt betrayed, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. They were in a room full of demons. His hand went to his knife, and he nodded to his little brother. Together, they made their way across the room towards the young woman in the blue dress. That would be their first target. They moved warily, conscious of any eyes that would flick to black, as Dean thoughts still dwelled on the lips that played against his just moments before.


	7. Chapter 7

...

When Cas appeared in Crowley's lab, Crowley's back was turned to him, and he didn't bother turning around even though he had heard the angel appear. The teeth-chattering slicking sound of metal scraping metal echoed around the dirty walls as he ran a blade back and forth down a sharpening steel. He was humming a tune.

_Love is in the air…everywhere I look around…_

Cas crossed the room in a single motion and grabbed Crowley by the collar of his jacket. He slammed him up against the nearest wall, so that the sharpening steel clattered to the floor, just as Crowley broke out into a chuckle. Castiel's livid face was practically touching Crowley's, and his icy blue eyes were boring into the demon's own like a very determined power drill. A dirty thought struck Crowley's mind. His lips are very kissable. I can see what Dean sees here. In fact, I'm getting a pretty good first hand perspective, and if he'd just move those lips a little lower…

"Let them go, Crowley. I won't…ask you again."

He wasn't even shouting. It was all breathy menace. Very seductive, angel. Do you think Dean would be up to sharing?

"Please, Castiel, you're making me uncomfortable. I have no idea what you're talking about."

Castiel's blue eyes started to gather light, like someone had turned on a generator from the inside. There was a frightening amount of power contained in there, and Crowley wasn't keen on letting it out. He knew why even powerful demons like him still dealt in contracts. Demons were really no more than rats, burrowing themselves into the human world and wreaking havoc from the inside out. If they did their job right, the only thing they left behind was the trail of destruction people could blame on a 'natural occurrence' or a 'tragic accident.'

Angels never had to bother with any of that backdoor stuff. Their people skills were practically non-existent, because with one touch, they could kill you or bring you back from the dead or send you hurtling through time and space, and before you could curse them or thank them, they were gone. Angels were raw power, which meant that they never had to make conversation.

Crowley thought that right now it was best to use the power that he held. It was much more subtle, but in his experience, it rarely failed to do the trick.

"OK, Castiel. Calm your wings. I'll admit it, the party was a trap for the Winchesters, but I would never intend on _killing_ them. It was just…a diversion so they'd be distracted enough to leave you and me alone so we can finish what we've started here. You can't tell me that you don't think the _Winchester_ boys can handle a few demons in pretty dresses? For them, it's like how normal people mow the lawn or put up Christmas decorations. It's an everyday occurrence that just happens to carry a slight risk of injury."

Castiel narrowed his eyes. This was Dean, he was talking about risking…_Dean. _He could still taste his faint whisky breathe on his tongue, and his fingers practically tingled in sense memory of their journey through his hair. For a moment, he was lost again, back in a hall with spinning lights and holy music and air that turned into electricity. But then again…

Why was he here?

Why did he agree to work with Crowley in the first place?

He had to protect Dean. He had to save him from yet another burden that would always, inevitably end in heartbreaking sacrifice.

What were a few demons against another apocalypse?

"Guarantee their safety, Crowley. Guarantee their safety or I'll shut this whole thing down."

"Angel, I give you my word. No harm will come to Sam and Dean Winchester as long as you hold up your end of the deal."

"So you'll call off your demons?"

"Of course. _If _you agree to stop seeing Dean Winchester."

Cas' stomach dropped, and for a moment he felt himself unable to speak.

"I don't know what you mean…"

"Oh, please Castiel. Don't act coy. My demons have eyes, and they report back to me. You've been infected by one of the seven deadlies – and one of my favourites, too. Lust was always such a delicious little minx."

Cas could only stand there. His insides felt like they had gone rouge and were trying to strangle him from within, focusing in particular on his heart and the bottommost area of his stomach.

"Did you get lost in his emerald green eyes? Please, Castiel – paint us a picture. What does Winchester tongue taste like? I always thought that angels were cold, sexless, things, but I guess you just need the right person to turn you on…"

"That's enough. I'm out!"

"And so is Dean Winchester."

Castiel felt himself unable to listen to anymore of the words that were coming out of Crowley's mouth. Damn heaven and damn hell - he was done.

"If you leave this room, you'll regret it Castiel. Mark my words - you'll lose everything! Your friends, your boyfriend, your war in heaven! I will destroy you! You'll be wishing you were still a pile of goo in that field!

But Castiel had already gone.


End file.
